WWE attempted to make social progress in Saudi Arabia but came up a bit short.
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As noted, female stars Natalya and Alexa Bliss made the trip to Saudi Arabia for Super ShowDown and WWE was in conversation with Saudi government about having a women’s match between the two stars on the show.
So far, women have not been allowed to perform on any of the WWE promoted shows in Saudi Arabia due to the country’s restrictive laws against women. Renee Young has been allowed to commentate on the shows but that is it.
In the end, The General Sports Assembly denied WWE the chance to hold the Bliss vs. Natalya match to the disappointment of many. Not only was the match nixed by the government, but WWE was told that both women also would not be allowed to appear on the show in any capacity.
Following the show, Natalya commented on the situation via her Twitter page. She first wrote “Every step matters” and followed that up with “Here’s to a multitude of tomorrows.”
Every step matters๐ค pic.twitter.com/8rEG1YWXGb
โ Nattie (@NatbyNature) June 8, 2019
Hereโs to a multitude of tomorrows. ๐ค pic.twitter.com/9qFxhnYh1n
โ Nattie (@NatbyNature) June 8, 2019
Natalya and Bliss’ trip was not completely uneventful, however. Both did make some public appearances in the country, meeting some young children at a medical facility.
Such a special visit today in Jeddah with some pretty amazing kids and their families. This little girl Jude, lit up my whole day! ๐ @WWE pic.twitter.com/qPZt6WDoWE
โ Nattie (@NatbyNature) June 7, 2019
Super ShowDown ended up being a less than stellar event for WWE and the company will continue to receive criticism for running shows in Saudi Arabia due to the country’s poor human right’s track record. While WWE has goals of helping to lead change and progress in Saudi Arabia (and undoubtedly wants a moment they can claim as a “win” in this department), this recent situation with the women’s match shows that we’re not there quite yet.